With service disruptions at New York's Penn Station occurring on an almost-daily basis, criticism of station owner Amtrak's operation of the facility has been mounting. In response, according to reporting by Patrick McGeehan in the New York Times (May 12), Amtrak President Wick Moorman on May 11 proposed that a private company take over Amtrak's management of its portion of the station concourses, and that he hoped that NJT and LIRR would do the same. Seemingly, Moorman did not mention operation of the vital tracks and platforms beneath the concourses. Moorman said a model for his proposal was airport operation, in which a common operator serves multiple airlines. This wasn't enough for the governors of New York and New Jersey, Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie, who countered in a joint letter the same day, saying that Amtrak should turn over operation of the entire station to a private operator. They wrote, "A professional, qualified, private station operator must be brought in to take over the repairs and manage this entire process going forward. We must have the right to approve any private contractor that Amtrak selects in response to our request and the record of failure causing these problems at Penn Station."

Meeting Dates

The Coalition normally meets on the fourth Monday of the month at Millburn Town Hall, which is a short walk from the train station.
(Walking Directions)

If you are coming to a Coalition meeting for the first time, here are directions from the Millburn Train Station. If you are coming from New York or somewhere else east of Millburn, walk down the stairs in the building and through the tunnel under the tracks. If you are coming from west of Millburn, walk down the stairs in the middle of the platform. Cross Essex Street and walk on more block to Millburn Avenue. Turn right on Millburn Avenue and walk about three blocks to Town Hall, located at 375 Millburn Avenue. The side door, facing the parking lot, is normally open.